By Xiang Bin

The Beijing Health Bureau has announced that starting from this week a training campaign will be conducted to help medical and health personnel deal with potential terrorist incidents during the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games. The campaign will last for a month, and 130,000 medical staff will take part, a report from the Beijing News said.

In the case of a terrorist incident, medical and health personnel will assume the vital role of providing emergency treatment, follow-up hospital treatment, and curative and epidemic control.

As medical institutions often carry virulent medicines, drugs, and nuclear material, all of which might be targeted by terrorists, it is essential for medical personnel serving the Olympics to improve their capability in the handling of emergencies, and to enhance their anti-terrorist awareness.

As the campaign progresses, lectures will be provided by professors from the Academy of Military and Medical Science, and the Health Bureau will organize an assessment of the results after four weeks of training.

(China.org.cn May 12, 2008)